Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Geraldine Bass is a regular at the local farmers markets here in Cork and her Old Millbank Salmon Paté is our Taste of the Week. I bought it at her stall in the Farmer’s Marketin Mahon Point and if you want to get some of this deliciousness, you should head for Mahon tomorrow. Get there early.

The paté - you can get a nice little pot of it for four euro - comes two ways. The original is in a very tasty creamy paste, ideal for spreading on canapés or, if in a hurry, spooning! I have a slight preference for a variation where she adds little chunks of her salmon to it, giving an extra twist to the texture and the flavour. Either way, it’s delicious. By the way, I first bought a pot in 2010 and it also cost four euro!

Her smoked salmon is also certainly well-priced and well regarded. You’ll note it on offer at local restaurants, including the likes of The Square Table in Blarney and the Farmgate in the English Market. Needless to say, I have some of that put aside for the Christmas.

Geraldine is a pleasure to deal with and treats all customers with great courtesy and, where required, great patience. She is very very helpful and will give you loads of hints. She also obviously gives the same care and attention to detail to her top-class produce. Treat yourself to some soon!

Monday, January 25, 2016

Sonny, described as the Merchant of Broth, has recently taken a stall at Mahon Point Farmers Market and here last Thursday, I found my Taste of the Week.

It is Sonny’s Chicken Broth and a pot of it, enough for two, will cost you a fiver. It is a Vietnamese broth and the proper title is Phỏ Gà. It is made from Tom Clancy’s free range chicken and enhanced with star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, lime leaf, charred onion and ginger. Tom also has a stall in Mahon.

The aromatic broth is refreshing and delicious, packed with flavours. And it may even be good for you - not that they were saying so at the market stall. According to the Mayo Clinic, chicken soup is a cold remedy used in many cultures; taking in warm liquids, such as chicken soup, tea, or warm apple juice, might be soothing and might ease congestion by increasing mucus flow. You can also read good things about it in this New York Times article.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Called to Mahon Point Farmer's Market yesterday and came away with this winning combination,thanks to face to face advice from the producers. Ballyhoura Mushrooms were the source for the Shiitake and the Chanterelles while the Chorizo came from Woodside Farm. Tomorrow is a great day for markets so keep your eyes open at Douglas, Midleton and the Coal Quay. Never know what you'll find.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Stumbling out of the early morning and into a confusion of stalls and marvellous food. That was me at Mahon Point Farmers Market last Thursday, sans list, sans plan.Lucky then that I stumbled on a new product by Iain Flynn of Flynn’s Kitchen. Spotted a colourful jar in the corner where he normally displays his soups. The label: Chorizo and Beans. “Great, I’ll have a pair of those,” I said to the modest maestro Iain.

Put the glasses on when I came home and realised it wasn't soup at all, but another four letter word: stew! A challenge, but no panic. Paired it up with a bunch of Sally Bee’smeatballs and, bingo, we had a fantastic jackpot of lively tastes and flavours that, matched with a superb wine from La Rioja Alta, the Vino Arana Reserva 2004, went down brilliantly.

Like a good wine, Mahon is well balanced. May I present Barrie Tyner, a talkative and very engaging fellow. Can’t ever leave his little stall without feeling guilty as he hands out generous samples of fantastic chicken liver pâtés, a second shoved into your hand before you have delivered the first to your mouth.And the pâtés represent the cooperation that exists and is growing among local producers – the livers come from Tom Clancy (Ballycotton Poultry) who also has a stall in Mahon. Sometimes their rich and delicious "smoothiness" enhanced by a dash (Barrie’s dash could well be twice that of others) of cognac, sometimes by a more modest caramelised onion, the livers are transformed into something wonderful.Perfect when simply served on Arbutus baguette as Barrie does (Arbutus are at the next stall). This time at home, I had something special, a Mango relish with a Creole touch, made in the Vendee and bought last summer on the drive home from the Basque country. Here in a cold wet January evening in Cork, the summer relish and the winter pate, not to mention some organic leaves from Derek of Greenfield Farm (also at Mahon Market), came together in a delicious dish for all seasons.I know there are many excellent local relishes available at the markets that would make a match with the pâtés. But you are allowed to reach out, occasionally! Lots of thing could be better here but thankfully there are no food police.By all means try the good stuff from abroad but above all take pride in the local ways, in our heritage. Buy local, fresh and fair, and make the local economy stronger. No big deal really. No violence involved, just a savoury and sweet revolution. It starts with me. And you.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Mushrooms light up Mahon Market
Lucy and Mark of Ballyhoura Mushrooms brought a colourful crop to Mahon Point Farmers Market today. The Rose and Gold Oysters (originally from South East Asia) certainly caught the eye. But so too did the Pom Poms and even the less colourful Chesnut. No stopping these two, always coming up with surprises. Ballyhoura also have stalls in Midleton and Douglas (both Saturday markets).

Pom Poms on top.Then a mix of Rose and Gold (Lemon) Oysters.Chesnut mushrooms are bottom left.At the bottom right, you have the front and backviews of the Rose oyster mushroom.

Main Course: Stir-fry of Steak (O’Mahony Butcher, English Market), mushrooms and Purple Sprouting Broccoli. The broccoli came from the Ballintubber farmer stand at Mahon and was top class, really great value as were the salad leaves used in the starter.

If you haven’t tried the marinated oyster mushrooms from Ballyhoura, you should. This is one of the best new products on the scene in recent months and is now matched by their marinated Shiitake mushrooms (photo). Can be served very simply, with market salad and toasted Arbutus sourdough, as we did. I’m sure chefs around the country are thinking up some gorgeous dishes, to make the best of these beauties.

Beef and Mushroom stir-fry is the title that Sheila gives her dish, in which broccoli also plays a major role. We used Purple Sprouting Broccoli rather than the regular and it worked out very well indeed.

Got the steaks from Eoin O’Mahony and they were top notch. The little additions (honey from Waterfall Farms shop, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce) all added to the flavour, familiar textures yet different on the taste buds.

Well done Sheila for that tasty combination. Again. Gimme the Recipe is proving to be a very useful book around this house, even if we don’t have to cater to a big gang anymore. But a little division cuts the meals down to size and we are gradually working our way through the book.

Also gradually working our way through that irresistible Glenilen cabinet at Mahon Market: yoghurts, butter, milk, and no shortage of dessert ideas. The cheesecakes and panna cottas are brilliant but we went for the Chocolate Pot on this occasion and they went down well, as does everything from this innovative West Cork farm.

Wine Match: since the steak had an oriental sauce, lighter than usual, I chanced the Monasterio de los Vinos 2011 Garnacha and Tempranillo blend. The label says it is intense, young, fresh and fruity. All that and more – it was a good match - and available at just €9.99 from stockists nationwide.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

“Have a nice wander” was the parting shot from a twitter buddy as I headed off to the Thursday Farmers Market in Mahon Point. “A wander” I questioned silently.

But the word was fairly apt, even if the market stretches hardly a 100 yards and back again of course with a detour in the middle. But is does turn into a wander. No rush as you stroll and stop and shop, time galore to ask a question, talk about the weather, the new lambs, the new salad and so much more.

Of course the more you get to know the stall holders the more the chance of a chat (great patéand fantastic patter from Barry Tyner) and of course Mahon is not unique in that respect. True, but still these are generally friendly folk, always ready to talk. I met one lady stall holder for the first time Thursday, a really cold day, and she immediately confided that she had so many layers of cloths on that she was unable to bend!

O’Driscoll’s from West Cork has to be the most popular stand here. Every time, there is a queue for their fantastic fresh fish; good service and a good price too. Must admit I have a few regular stops: Woodside Farm, Flynn’s Kitchen, Arbutus Breads, Gubbeen, Glenilen, and more.

Go not just to talk but to buy as well. I start with a full wallet and empty bags; end with the reverse being true. And no regrets. Great stuff there: apples and mushrooms from Ballyhoura, chickens and beef from East Cork, tasty sushi, two farmers from East Cork also with great selections of vegetables and also Organic Republic with a big selection of fruit and veg.

Coffee stops, the olive stand, fish also from Ballycotton, a cheese stall, jams and relishes from Una Poynton and an award winning range of pies from Una’s Pies, not to mention Buttevant’s Old Millbank for smoked salmon and other goodies.

And something nice to finish with? No bother. Why not call to Midleton’s Bite-Size (love their carrot cake), Cookies with Character, or the Natural Food Bakery (they also do a smashing carrot cake as well as my favourite white yeast loaf).

I know I have left some out. You may see the full list here. And don’t forget, if you don’t; make it to Mahon, that many of these will be selling their fares at Midleton and Douglas on Saturdays. So give that wallet an airing and bring a few large bags.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Get on down to a Farmer's Market this weekend. Mahon is still on today while Saturday's biggies are Midleton, Douglas and Skibbereen. Lovely people to meet, lovely food to buy. Enjoyed my hour in Mahon Point this morning. The top row of photos (l to r): Una's Pies, O'Connaill bars and O'Connaill brownies. Middle row: Arbutus Bread, Ballyhoura Mushrooms and Gubbeen. Bottom row: Ballyhoura Mushrooms, Flynn's Kitchen and Una's Pies. So grab your bags and go on down

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

First "met" Swedish writer Pelle Blohm on twitter, thanks to a Corkman, Mark O'Sullivan @markstkhlm, an ex Tramore Athletic player, who lives in Sweden and also Philip O'Connor, Swedish based Irish sports journalist @philipoconnor . Pelle is a regular visitor to Ireland, has been Grand Marshall at a Swedish Patrick's Day parade and owns an Irish wolfhound.

Pelle Blohm (@PBlohm on twitter): Freelance writer about football and culture and stuff in between. TV-expert-commentator in football.

Pelle played professional football at a high level and had stints in places such as Derby and China as well as more local contracts at home and in Norway. In this You Tube clip you see him scoring against Torino in the 1992 UEFA Cup. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfXF5JewthY

Met Pelle at his B&B, @HandlebarsBandB on the Lower Road, just after his arrival by train from Dublin and we headed off to Mahon Point Farmer's Market and Kinsale for a few hours. The ink was hardly dry on my short blog account of the daywhen I got a tweet from Mark saying an article by Pelle had appeared in his (Pelle's) local paper, the NA in Örebro, and told me "it was a good plug for Mahon Point Farmers Market and Kinsale".

See what you think. Must warn you though this is a Google translation, prone to error, though Mark says it is a pretty fair translation. I have added my own interpretations where there is doubt (in brackets).

CHIDED (BY) A CAB DRIVER DUBLIN

Talking
football tends to be one of the best ways to break the ice

with
the taxi drivers wherever you are in the world. It name drops a

name
of a player or team and I usually talk to be running and the

atmosphere
on top.

This
early morning Dublin was not quite as usual. I jumped into a taxi

to
take me to Heuston Station and by train to Cork. After a little

morning
buzz about the weather chaffisen (the driver) asked:

-
What do you do then?

sleepy
as I was I took the easiest route.

-
I work with football.

It (he) exploded
in the front seat.

-
Stupid, fucking, wankers those footballers. All they do is drinking,

gambling
and whoring. Then went he with a long rant about working-class

boys
who flooded with sick money that they do not have a clue how to

care
for.

Idiot British club owners and a crazy industry. Of course, I

was
silent, sit well here and look out over empty dark streets, I

thought.
After all, he had a point with his outburst. Although his

words
breathed old Irish morality Catholicism. Thinking of adding a

diplomatic
comment somewhere but just then we were there.

Down
in Cork I met Billy Lyons. A man who through friends and the amazing
network

Twitter
gave away five hours of their (his) time to show me around Cork's

surroundings.
A man who talked the strangest accent I've heard in

English.
He almost sang out the words that fit together without

interruption.
Each sentence ended and began, remained an enigma. Then I

was
still warned of the singing Cork dialect. I took a chance with yes

and
sometimes no other times. It worked pretty well.

Pelle in Kinsale

Billy
drove past the soccer fields on top of the round green hills (in Kinsale) and
talked to (about) local football
as he is passionate about, I saw the old Charles Fort from the
1800s, the beautiful summer town of Kinsale and the famous pub Bulman.

Billy
is a food writer took me to Mahon Point Farmers Market outside
of town (Cork) where I walked around and greeted the vendors of local Cork
Products. Tasted pâté, cheeses, bread and mushroom soup. Got a rant (explanation) about
sushi with an Irish twist and juices and jams from the area.
Fantastic day together with a very hospitable and proud Cork Nationals.

Later
on vincaféet (wine cafe?) L’Atitude 51 at the edge of the River Lee's
southern channel, I read in the NA (his local paper) if someone wrote
a nidlåt (anthem?) of Örebro.
We are poor in Örebro on writing good songs about our city. Ireland
is a master in this branch.

Here
are so many songs at any time
of the country, towns and villages. Pride and love, joy and pain that
is mediated through the music. We should call Örebro musicians to

write
more songs such as Nikola Sarcevic and his song Hometown.

They should
be put online and on CD's, paid for by the municipality and

used
to promote Örebro. Instead of Phil Lynott's tribute to Dublin.

Mats
Ronander of Örebro. Or a variant of Luke Kelly's song about

Belfast.
"The town I loved so well" in Örebro robes of Karin Wistrand.

End of Pelle's article.

You
can see the original article, which was written in a McCurtain Street bar where, according
to Pelle, the Wi-Fi was good and the coffee wasn't, here

Friday, February 24, 2012

Enjoyed
lunch at the Bulman yesterday. I was accompanied by Swedish journalist Pelle Blohm
who was as surprised as me at the relatively high temperatures. But it still wasn't
warm enough to sit outside.

We
were on our way back to Charlesfort after strolling around Kinsale and seeing
the sights. Pelle enjoyed the town and especially the old fort, the eerie ruins
of the barracks and, of course, the views.

Time
for lunch now, after all that walking. First though a drink was required and I suggested
a bottle of Stonewell cider. Pelle usually finds cider too sweet but he certainly
enjoyed this one, as indeed did I.

I spotted
an Ummera product on the menu and couldn’t resist having the Smoked Chicken
with Pine Nuts and Cashel Blue cheese on a salad (10.50). Very enjoyable,
terrific taste and texture variations in the dish, and a great choice, even if
I say so myself.

The
morning had started with food as well. Pelle, just off the train, was plunged into
the activity at Mahon Point Farmers Market to meet some hard-working Irish people and
taste some great food. Thanks to the traders who welcomed him with open arms,
people such as Barrie Tyner, Gubbeen, Madeline of Sushi fame, Martin Conroy of Woodside and the folks
at Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Don’t all rush down to Mahon. My headline is a little deceptive! I’m talking here about young truffle trees.

You never know what you’ll see at the Mahon Point Farmer’s Market on a Thursday morning. Dropped down today for a quick run and was surprised to see the Ballyhoura Wild Mushroom stand there and I’m told it will be there until Christmas.

So we took advantage and we helped ourselves to their Shiitake Mushroom soup, one of a number available and also picked up a bunch of Chanterelle (demolished at lunch-time, I must admit!).

The big surprise though was the fact that they are selling Truffle trees, Tuber Aestivum var. uncinatum to be exact, also known as the UK summer truffle. When you buy your trees, you get a very informative leaflet on choosing and preparing your site, on how to care for your tree and how and when to look for truffles.

Ballyhoura Mushrooms will be in Mahon, as I’ve said, at least until Christmas, and you may also catch up with them at the Douglas Farmers Market every Saturday morning.

Great also to catch up with Old Millbank Smokehouse. We enjoyed their smoked produce at a recent lunch in the Farmgate and were glad to pass on the word that the pictures had gone all over the net via @foodspotting and via this post.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Go into a supermarket nowadays and you’ll see signs all over the place for meal deals. You won't see such signs at your local farmers market but with a little “digging” you certainly can come up with a convenient meal.

Mahon Point is the farmers market that I am most familiar with and here is a recent example.

Starter: Chicken & Brandy paté from Barry Tyner

Mains: Lamb Tagine from Flynn’s Kitchen.

Dessert: Panacotta from Glenilen.

Lots of variations are possible: olives from the Real Olive Co., salmon paté from the Old Millbank and maybe crab cakes and soups from Flynn’s for starters; various types of Indian dishes from Green Saffron and also Flynn’s do a few more for mains; cheeses from Gubbeen and Marks, cakes and pastries from Bite Size and others, fruits and more for your dessert.

I probably left out quite a few (sorry!) but you can see my point. You can quickly make up a really high class convenient three course meal.

Was at the market this morning and Ballintubber Farm, where we bought our vegetables today, had loads of pumpkins on sale (photo). Stalls were busier than usual – Ian O’Flynn thought it might be because the schools were off due to the election – and we picked up some fish from O’Driscoll’s, various bits and pieces of pig from Woodside, apple juice from Ballyhoura, a favourite yeast loaf from the Natural Foods (photo), and more to set things up nicely for the jazz weekend.

Only regret was that I had to leave before the Beer and Cheese event got underway at noon!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Many of you will know the Old Millbankstall at the Mahon Point Farmers Market. It is a regular stop of mine, usually for the fine
Irish Organic smoked salmon, sometimes for the salmon fishcakes and also for
the delicious salmon pâté.

Yesterday I noticed a different product there: hummus. There were two
types, one with chilli. I had a taste of both and went for the regular type. They
had a chart (pictured) on the stall detailing the benefits of Hummus. Looks a
good bet!

Moved on a few yards and what did I see but more hummus, this at the Real Olive stall .
They also had two varieties. Bought some semi-dried tomatoes here and also a scoop
of olives.

Also called to the Natural Food Bakery stall and bought one of their white yeast loaves. A lovely bread and absolutely ideal
for use with good quality jams, such as those from Follain in West Cork.

Barry Tyner was in great form as usual. Never a shortage of
tasty pâté
samples here and delighted to get myself a big chunk of that chicken and
brandy one, a lively starter to any meal! No shortage of vegetables in Mahon. Called
to the Ballycurraginny Farm this time and a fiver bought a bunch of carrots, a bunch
of parsnips and a turnip

.

Iain O’Flynn has quite an array of food on his stall; soups,
pates, jams and prepared dishes. On this occasion, I was tempted most by the
Lamb Tagine. Had this before and it is terrific.

Queues at the fish stalls but I was on the lookout for meat
on this occasion and stopped at Martin Conroy’s Woodside Farm (@Woodside_Farm ) for a great looking pork steak
and a good chat. Another chat at the Glenilen stand before we went off with one of their gorgeous cheesecakes.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Great
to see newcomers Glenilen Farm (left) at the Mahon Point Farmer’s Market this morning,
even if their fantastic cheesecake wasn't on display. Had to settle for their Panacotta
at the very reasonable price of 4 euro for two pots!

There were
a couple of farmers showing off their vegetables, just out of the ground. This
time it was the turn of Ballintubber (below). Their cauliflower just cried out for a
home.

Dan
Aherne, another East Cork producer was next door. Their fillet steaks were gone
– “they go first” – but there was considerable consolation as I helped myself
to a couple of T-bones.

Martin
Conroy of Woodside contributes to the new 12 mile menu at Midleton’s Sage Restaurant
and tells me he is delighted with it. “It was packed last night.” Woodside have
quite a range of products from their free range pigs and, among other things,
we like his burgers.

Also
called to Iain O’Flynn; this time we were concentrating on his soups. He had
two new to me so we gave them a go: Courgette and Parmesan and also Pea and Mint.

Also visited
Gubbeen, Arbutus Bread, Rose Cottage, Green Saffron and the Old Millbank
Smokehouse and more. By then, the bags were full, the arms at full stretch, so
off home to plan the next few meals. With this kind of produce, they should be
good.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Last Thursday wasn't the best of of days and the Mahon Point Farmers Markethad moved
indoors (into the covered car park) to avoid the forecasted wind and rain.
Still, I enjoyed the visit and called to some regulars (such as Woodside and
Arbutus) and also met one or two new folks.

Back at the ranch, we put the purchases to good use. You’ll probably
know that the mozzarella from Toonsbridge Dairy in Macroom was in the
presentation made to the Queen on her recent visit to the city market.

But did you know they also make a Philadelphia type cheese with the same
buffalo milk and it is called Buffadelphia . Picked up a packet at the Real Olive Company stall in Mahon (they probably have it in the
English Market also) and used it in a salad that included some beetroot from
Lolo’s stall, where a three head bunch cost just €2.50. The salads came from
the back garden and all in all it was very tasty.

At the market, I had bought some potatoes and vegetables from Ballycurraginny
Farm and also from Ballintubber Farm but none of these was required for that
night’s dinner.

The centrepiece here was Lamb Tagine from Flynn’s Kitchen. Iain Flynn’s
stall isn't the biggest but he has quite an excellent range including soups,
pates, jams and prepared dishes.

Brought some rice back from the recent visit to Provence and decided it
to use it with the Tagine. Had visions of a nice photo as we added red and black
rice to the white. But the colours all ran and so no photo as we spooned out
the purple mix!

Still it tasted very well indeed and proved an excellent accompaniment
to the Tagine which, as usual for Flynn’s Kitchen, was spot-on, the ingredients
top class.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Great to walk through Mahon Point Farmers Market yesterday (any Thursday really) and enjoy buying the bits and pieces and the chatter along the way.

If you want a bit of patter with your paté, then call to Barrie Tyner (right). And let him talk while you sample the patés. They are the creamiest and most gorgeous. Irresistible.

If you can't get down to see Barry, his produce, and that of many of the best food producers is available on the localmarkets.ie.LocalMarkets.ieExplore the producer directory, read their stories and buy gorgeous good food and beverages.

At Mahon itself, you can fill a couple of bags in no time. Take Flynn’s Kitchen for instance. Iain has a selection of prepared meals, he has magnificent soups, tasty crab cakes, even some really lovely jams. Always worth a call.

You always need bread and one of my particular favourites is the sourdough produced by Arbutus Breads right here in Mayfield.

Gubbeen is a treasure trove of top notch food: chorizo, salami, cheese, pork products. Speaking of pork, well just a few yards away you’ll find Martin from Woodside FarmHe has a range of tempting products from his Old Spot pigs and my current favourites are the pork and apple burgers..

And the market really has fresh produce. That was underlined yesterday by the absence of O'Driscoll’s Fish, always a popular stall. Overnight, the winds at sea were very high so they had no fish, thus no stall, just a notice up with the bad news.

Still in the mood for a chat? Then call to the amazing Green Saffron stall. Here Arun (left) or one of the very helpful people there will explain to you all about Indian food. And for those few minutes, even if there is a queue behind you, you will have his full attention, you are his only customer. That is why you go back and go back.

And if you miss Green Saffron or Woodside or Arbutus at Mahon, they and many others will be in Midleton tomorrow (and every Saturday). Go get thee to a market and get thee yapping and chatting. Enjoy.

But if you want to spend less time in the kitchen, Good Food Ireland’s Linda Thomas has some advice: “Take a look at our restaurants, hotels, country houses, B&B's, delis, coffee shops, cookery schools, butchers, country storehouses and farmers’ markets who are revolutionising the way local produce is experienced and eaten in Ireland. We have come very, very far in recent years, to the point where significant international tour operators are now organising food trips into Ireland. That would not have been possible several years ago.”

Called to Cinnamon Cottage on the Rochestown Road which has just opened after a major re-vamp. Looks open and airy with lots of good food on display (producers such as Kanturk’s Jack McCarthy and Buttevant’s Old Millbank prominent), fresh breads and a tempting salad bar.

But I was on the lookout for prepared meals and saw only a quiche and some marinated chicken breasts so I headed back to Mahon and old reliable Flynn’s Kitchen. Thought I was too late when I saw just one portion of his famous cannelloni in the tray but Iain had another tray in reserve and the day was saved! Beautiful stuff!

Had been tipped off about a confectionery shop in the Mahon Shopping complex so checked it and soon found myself gaping at the fantastic selection in Amandine’s, a French influenced patisserie stall on the ground floor. Loads of cakes here of all sizes and for all occasions. Picked up a couple of small pastries, a jam confiture topped cheese cake and another in which baker’s custard was topped with glazed fruit. Gorgeous. But take it easy!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Thursday Farmers Market in Mahon Point moved indoors today to get out of the strong wind and there was quite a buzz when I arrived (the buzz wasn't for me, by the way) at about 10.15am.

Had a tip from the horse’s mouth about the new Artichoke and Roast Garlic Sausages by Gubbeen, so I headed there to meet Megan. Bought the sausages and also some Mature Un-smoked Gubbeen Cheese.

Haven’t tried the sausages yet but the cheese was used at lunch-time with that fantastic Sourdough Bread from Arbutus Breads. It is one of my favourite breads, perhaps the favourite. Two other good ones (both from Kinsale) that come to mind are Tom’s Country Baguette and the Spelt and Honey loaf by the Baker’s Oven.

Speaking of Kinsale, met up again with Iain of Flynn's Kitchens. This time I bought some soup from him, including his new Leek and Potato with Thyme soup. I had tried that recently and was amazed at the difference the thyme made, so I mentioned that and he said that, thanks to fellow stall-holder Declan Ryan, he got the flavour packed thyme in from Provence!

Reckon I’ll see some strange vegetables in Provence when I visit in the summer but saw one at least as I bought a few bits and pieces at the well stocked Organic Republic. Puzzled by those large brown chestnuts (see photo). Hadn’t seen them before. What do you do with them? Should have asked at the stall but it got busy.

Martin Conroy of Woodside Farm told me the winter’s mud is almost all gone and that the place is looking good in the spring sunshine. The meat from his pigs was also looking good in Mahon today and we ended up with a nice piece of pork loin. No shortage of veg around here and we got some nice earthy ones from Ballycurraginny Farm.